Srivignesh Sundaresan comes from a farming family of very modest means from Mambaddy, a village in the rural area of Tamil Nadu in India. He and his younger sister went to the village primary and high-schools. Srivignesh continued to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, where he completed his B.Sc. studies in horticulture.

"60% of India's rural population is employed in agriculture. I wanted to do something more than return home to work the farm. I wanted to learn more, in order to add something new to agricultural research, " says Srivignesh.

The Pears Foundation of England generously provides M.Sc. program scholarships for students from developing countries. Srivignesh was found to be an excellent candidate for one of the Pears scholarships, enabling him to take part in the program.

His outstanding performance during the year made him eligible to continue for his thesis M.Sc. degree, but again the financial question arose. A 2nd-year grant from the Pears Foundation, combined with a scholarship from his advisor, ensured his continued studies.

Srivignesh's M.Sc. thesis dealt with the regulation of genes associated with flower and leaf abscission in tomato. From the Abstract of his thesis:

Abscission, the separation of organs from the parent plant, results in pre-harvest and postharvest losses of quality and longevity in many fresh produce. To overcome this problem, many crops are treated after harvest with various chemicals to delay or prevent abscission.

The findings of this study will shed light on the molecular mechanisms that drive the acquisition of abscission competence, and will facilitate novel approaches to the control and manipulation of abscission in horticultural and agricultural crops, in order to improve their postharvest quality.

The thesis was conducted under the joint supervision of Prof. Joseph Riov of the Faculty's Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture and Dr. Shimon Meir of the Agricultural Research Organization at the Volcani Center. Srivignesh completed his thesis in April, 2010.

The success of his work gave the impetus to begin his Ph.D degree studies at the Faculty, continuing with the same supervisors, but now expanding his research in the same area.

Srivignesh explains: "In the M.Sc. thesis, we identified the genes responsible for flower abscission. In the Ph.D. research, we are silencing selected genes in order to prevent abscission and to study the detailed abscission mechanism."

"This study can potentially be applied to prevent flower abscission in most plant systems, increasing the productivity of crop plants and the shelf-life of cut flowers."

An article on this subject has been published in Plant Physiology, one of the premier journals in the field of plant sciences.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), an arm of the government of India, recently began granting scholarships for Ph.D.-level researchers, both for Indians studying abroad and for foreigners studying in agricultural institutes in India. The fellowships cover all expenses for three years and include commitment by the recipients to return to their home countries to serve as researchers. ICAR commits to matching the returning Indian students with appropriate research positions at the conclusion of their studies.

For the 2010/2011 academic year grants, there were thousands of applicants. The process was long, including an interview with an esteemed scientific panel. A small fraction of applicants, only 15 in number, received grants. Among the recipients was Srivignesh.

"I feel proud and happy," says Srivignesh of his achievement, "and am especially pleased to make my family feel the same."